Cloth Diaper Addiction

Interview with my Hubby

2013-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Although Father's Day has past, I thought it would be fun to interview my husband to find out what he really thinks about cloth diapering. Because I stay at home with our son, I kind of had the final say in how we diapered him, since I'd be doing most of the diapering. He was supportive of cloth diapering, but didn't have a huge interest in it in the beginning. I feel like he's really come around and is now very supportive of our cloth diapering! So, I thought it'd be fun to hear things from his point of view.... hoping you will, too!

What did you think about cloth diapering when I first brought it up?
I thought it would be really gross.... putting the poopy diapers in the washing machine. And having to spray off poopy diapers--I was a little intimidated by that.

Did you really want us to use cloth diapers in the beginning or would you have preferred just using disposables?
I respected your desire to use cloth diapers, and knew it would be better for the environment and would be cheaper....so I agreed.

How did your opinions change once we started using them?
The ones for the infants (prefolds with the snappi things) are still really confusing and difficult for me, but once we started using the pocket diapers, it was really easy! And once I saw how the washing machine looked after doing a few loads, I realized it didn't really matter. Spraying off the diapers isn't so bad either, although I've had my share of difficulties with it.
Now, I'm kind of proud that we use them. I know that it saves us so much money, and I've seen the volume of diapers we've had to throw away when we do use disposables.

What is the hardest thing about using cloth diapers?
Spraying the poop off!! Before having the Spray Pal, I would always spray poop onto the wall or the floor.... my best story is when I was trying to drop poop into the toilet, when the snapped-in insert fell out, and everything landed in the woven magazine bin. That was rough.

What's your favorite thing?
They're so much cuter than normal diapers!

Is there anything that really surprised you about using cloth diapers?
I think I was surprised by how easy they are (the pocket diapers). Instead of using the velcro on disposables, you just snap them on-quick and easy!

Would you ever want to just use disposables?
No. Maybe in the infants, with prefolds and things :), but otherwise, no.

Anything else you want to add?
The only other thing I'm surprised about is the volume of pee those things can handle!!

So, looks like he really does appreciate that we use cloth diapers :) I'm glad he's been so supportive through the last two years of diapering!! And that I didn't have to convince someone who was really against it. How about you guys? How do your partners feel about cloth diapering?

Katie

RubyRumps Fitted Diaper

2013-06-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

For the past month or so, I've had the chance to try out a great fitted diaper--RubyRump's hemp fitted diaper. RubyRump's is a business owned by a WAHM, Marion. Marion lives in Washington, and has 5 children. Her last three kids were cloth diapered, and after learning to make cloth diapers, decided to start her own business-RubyRumps. She makes fitted diapers, covers, and also AIO diapers. Marion sent me one of her organic hemp fitted diapers to try.
The etsy shop describes the make-up of the diaper well: "The outside layers are organic hemp fleece and the inside layers are a combination of organic hemp/cotton jersey and organic hemp/cotton fleece."
And let me tell you, with all the hemp in there, this diaper is absorbent! But before I get ahead of myself, here's what the diaper looks like:

It's pretty simple in design, but does the job well. The diapers only come in velcro/hook and loop, and I found it to be really strong. We've had no issues with it rolling up or anything yet, and they stayed stuck down in the washing machine (so NO diaper chains, which is one of my diapering pet peeves!).
The absorbency of the diaper is completely sewn in, so no snapping or adding layers, which is nice--no searching for the insert to snap in while folding the laundry!

The only problem with the absorbency being completely sewn in is that it takes longer to dry. Now that it's pretty much summertime here in Virginia, I've been line-drying my diapers and haven't noticed that this diaper takes excessively longer than the others out on the line. But I did notice, on rainy days when I dried everything in the dryer, that the diaper wasn't completely dry after one cycle. Because I'm lazy, most nights I just take the diapers out of the diaper and leave them in the basket to fold in the morning anyway, so I usually just laid this one out over the edge of the basket and it was dry by morning. Depending on what other nighttime diapers I used, this isn't the only diaper that needs a little extra dry-time, so sometimes I just added an extra 20 minutes to the cycle and it was dry. Overall, not a big deal, but just something to be aware of!
And in case you noticed above, I did say "other nighttime diapers," meaning, this diaper is one of our nighttime diapers!! If you've read any of my other posts, you'll know that my son is a super-soaker. We have very limited options for nighttime, and this one passed the test!! Because these diapers are made with so much hemp, I had high hopes for nighttime. And after washing it and having it take so long to dry (yes, it takes longer to dry, but that also means extra absorbent!), I knew I had to give it a shot overnight. And it worked. Like a charm. I paired it with a wool cover and had complete success! Hooray!! This diaper wasn't even completely soaked through by morning. So as far as absorbency goes, this diaper is fantastic!
Another reason I love hemp is because it's so trim! Major absorbency without the bulk. This diaper is really quite trim for such an absorbent fitted diaper.

I used it only at naptime and nighttime (really the only times we use fitteds), so I can't say how it fits under clothing, but looking at this thing, it is super duper trim. I actually had to pick out specific wool covers that fit more tightly during naps/nightime so they wouldn't fall down! So I'd say this diaper would work great as a daytime diaper.

again....so trim.

The only issue we really had with this diaper was the fit. And actually, we only had trouble in the legs; the waist was great! I asked for a large, but I'm thinking we could have gotten by with a medium. The weight ranges said a large would fit 16+ pounds, but I'm thinking that they run pretty large and it depends on the shape of the baby. Myles has tiny little legs, so we got some gaping around them. It was never an issue, as far as poop goes (I think it helps with fitteds that you have a cover to hold everything in), but just something to be aware of. I have some friends with kids who weigh the same as Myles but have a completely different build, and I'm pretty sure this diaper would fit just fine on them.

You can see how it gapes on his right leg. But when I made sure to pull the diaper up as high as I could before fastening it, it helped a lot. And because we always wear a cover, we never had any problem with the gap causing a leak.

Overall, we love this diaper! It is SO absorbent, and its really great to have another option for nighttime! I love that its made with organic materials, so I feel really good with it against Myles' skin. In my experience, the sizing runs large, but I think it depends on the build of the baby. And, it just looks cute--who doesn't love a cute, fitted bum.....

*on a side note, Myles is starting potty training and we're having a really hard time keeping diapers on him! Can you tell what he's trying to do in the picture on the right?? I have to keep telling him "hands off!!"

Anyway.... we really like this diaper! If you're looking for a super absorbent fitted to add to your stash, this is it! And they're also really affordable, at only $18. Be sure to check out RubyRump's on facebook and on etsy.
Marion is also offering a great discount on her store for our readers--30% off, using the code RR30! To order, check out what's available in her etsy shop, or if you don't see what you want, she can always do custom orders; just send her a message through etsy or facebook.
Also, if you live in or are visiting Port Townsend, WA, her diapers are for sale in a shop on Water St, downtown, called "Seams to Last." Be sure to check them out!

Baby Monkeys Pocket Diaper and Flat

2013-06-11T23:05:00.003-04:00

Last, but certainly not least in my Flats Challenge review series is a WAHM shop called Baby Monkeys. Tibeca, the owner and creator of Baby Monkeys sent me one of her Bamboo Baby Loop Terry Flats and also one of her adorable pocket diapers to review.

The Bamboo Loop Terry Flats are made of a single layer of fabric that is serged on the edges. You can pick your serging color, and I chose the Blueberry Cobbler color for mine. They come in three sizes that you can choose from: Newborn (25" x 25"), Infant (28"x28"), and Toddler (30"x30"). The fabric has one smooth flat side and one looped side, and I found that both held a Snappi very well. The flat is really stretchy, which I love for getting a nice snug fit on Ava!

I have the flat in an Origami fold in the picture above. You can see what a great fit we got with this flat! The tan serging you see is just a doubler since Ava was wearing this for a nap. We found that this flat had really great absorbency for Ava and it handwashed very well during the challenge.

This is the adorable pocket diaper that I was sent to review! It is a one size side snapping pocket diaper with a cute rainbow applique on the back.

On the inside of the diaper there are two pocket openings, one on each end. This makes it really easy to stuff and most of the time the inserts agitate out in my washer! The white that you can see is suedecloth, and the blue is PUL.

The picture above shows the pocket snapped to the smallest rise and waist settings. I can tell that this would fit a small baby really nicely. The front even has a little bit of a dip to it that would keep the diaper away from the cord on a newborn. The size range for these pockets is about 10-32 pounds.

I added this picture to highlight the awesome stitching on the fold over elastic. I thought that all the stitching on this diaper was really nicely done, and the zig zag stitch on the elastic looks really cool.

I took all of the on the bum pictures with the flat pad folded inside the pocket. I know it looks bulky, but I wanted to be able to show just how roomy this pocket is. I can even stuff it enough to use it at night! For normal daytime use, Tibeca offers bamboo terry or zorb inserts to go with her pocket diapers. I didn't have one of hers to review, so I used some that I had on hand. With a smaller insert I take the rise up one more snap setting and get a nice trim fit.

Look at that fluffy bum! I love that this is a great stay dry night time option for us. It has been really hard for us to find pockets that can fit the amount of absorbency that Ava needs at night.

We got a great fit with this diaper. The fold over elastic keeps everything really snug without any gaps, so we didn't have any leaks. I just love anything baby blue so the color is perfect for me and the rainbow applique is so awesome! Also, since there is elastic on the front for the tummy it works great for my skinny tummy sleeper. This was one of the first diapers in a while that fit Ava's skinny waist really well without squishing her chubby legs.

Check Baby Monkeys out on HyenaCart! She has pocket diapers, covers, flats, wipes, and the cutest little stuffed toy monkeys I have seen.

Geffen Baby Quick Absorbers Plus

2013-06-11T16:00:00.002-04:00

I was recently given the opportunity to review a set of the Geffen Baby Quick Absorbers Plus inserts. I really like Geffen Baby's jersey hemp flats, so I was excited to try their inserts.

I received a package of three Quick Absorbers Plus inserts, but you can also buy them in quantities of 6 or 12. When you receive them the dimensions are 6" x 17", but they will shrink somewhat after prepping. I found that mine are now 5" x 16" which is a great size for us.

You can see that after it was prepped it softened up nicely and shrunk down just a bit. The Geffen Baby Quick Absorbers Plus inserts are made of five layers of a 60% hemp and 40% cotton blend jersey. This makes them very absorbent, while still very thin! Geffen Baby also offers Quick Absorber inserts that are still five layers of hemp and cotton jersey but are about 5" x 13" if you need a shorter length. If you want even more absorbency try the High Absorber inserts (5" x 13" with two layers of hemp and cotton jersey plus three layers of hemp/cotton fleece in the center) or the Super Absorbers inserts (5" x 13" with five layers of hemp/cotton fleece). If you prefer microfiber, they also offer the Ultra Absorbers inserts (6" x 17"with three layers of microfiber).

You can see in this picture above that this insert is nice and thin. I really enjoyed using these as doublers in my flats during the Flats Challenge! Since they are made of natural fibers they handwashed well too. They add a lot of absorbency without adding a lot of bulk. We found that these worked really well in all of our pocket diapers also. Geffen Baby calls them universal inserts, and that certainly seems to be an accurate assessment! I was able to use them with all of our diapering systems. I've used them as doublers in all-in-ones and all-in-twos, as doublers in a prefold, and as doublers in flats with great success. Geffen Baby is a really great company and many of their products are made in the USA. Check them out on their website and on Facebook!

North St. Bags - A Diaper Bag for Dad!

2013-06-06T17:23:00.000-04:00

Just in time for Father's Day, I got to review a backpack from North St. Bags here in Portland, OR. This is their Woodward Backpack which is a lightweight pack with versatility and style. North St. Bags makes a whole line of bags for cyclists and people about town. I have so enjoyed using this pack as a diaper bag for Coral. Of course, her dad agrees too!

This removable zipper pouch velcros on the inner side of the bag to keep smaller things handy and in order. They have different attachments that you can choose to order as well to customize your bag space.

Here is a bird's eye view in to the bag. You can see that the pouch is attached to the two rows of Velcro in the bag. Opposite from the pouch is a sleeve for a laptop or any other item that you wouldn't want to get scratched or crumpled by other objects in your bag. I've appreciated this feature for a variety of uses such as taking cards or flat packages to the post office and transporting photos. I have a bit of a walk to get there and after accessing a normal bag a few times, I have always beat up any paper items in my bag pretty well. I usually have to hope that the recipient chalks that up to the USPS's rough handling, but not when I use this backpack!

The chest and waist straps are good quality and easy to adjust with the D-rings. You don't realize how handy these are until you are fumbling for the strap while is a hurry or with numb fingers in the cold. I also appreciate the padding in the shoulder straps. They are comfortable but still breath well and don't make you overheat.

Here is Dad and Coral on their way to an adventure.

Here Dad is wearing the pack fairly high on his back but it can adjust to many a different size. We have a few BG's in here, some spare clothes, wipes, wetbag, sippy cup, changing pad, bib, water bottles for us, snacks, a flask and all with room to spare.

The generous folks as North St. Bags are offering a discount code for 20% off a purchase of $100 or more between now and Father's day. You can tell your husband or dad to choose his own gift this year! Just go to http://northstbags.com/ and enter code = "bagsfordads" (no caps) valid through 6/16/2013.